Staff Software/Systems Engineer - Low-Latency & Systems Programming | Cloud Security

Who is Tenable?

Tenable® is the Exposure Management company. 44,000 organizations around the globe rely on Tenable to understand and reduce cyber risk. Our global employees support 65 percent of the Fortune 500, 45 percent of the Global 2000, and large government agencies. Come be part of our journey!

What makes Tenable such a great place to work?

Ask a member of our team and they’ll answer, “Our people!” We work together to build and innovate best-in-class cybersecurity solutions for our customers; all while creating a culture of belonging, respect, and excellence where we can be our best selves. When you’re part of our #OneTenable team, you can expect to partner with some of the most talented and passionate people in the industry, and have the support and resources you need to do work that truly matters. We deliver results that exceed expectations and we win together!

Your Role:

We are looking for a Staff software/systems programmer who is obsessed with performance. This role is for a developer who might come from a background in game engine development, high-frequency trading (HFT), database internals, real-time simulation or similar. We are looking for engineers who currently apply these skills in a managed environment (like C# or Java) or who come directly from a deep C/C++/Rust background.

Your mission is to write high-performance, low-latency code that handles massive throughput on a single machine. You will dig into memory profiles, hunt down GC pressure, eliminate allocations, and write code that is has a deep awareness of memory layout and hardware architecture to ensure maximum cache-locality and performance If your first instinct for solving a performance problem is to optimize a data structure's memory layout, not to add a Redis cache, you are the person we're looking for.

Your Opportunity:

• Design, develop, and maintain complex, scalable, and high-performance systems with a focus on writing clean, efficient, and maintainable code.

• Aggressively reduce memory allocations and GC pressure using profiling tools (like PerfView, dotTrace, YourKit) and advanced techniques (e.g., object pooling, custom data structures, Span<T>/Memory<T>/ByteBuffer concepts).

• Identify and troubleshoot production issues, conducting root cause analysis and implementing fixes to ensure system reliability.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product managers and architects, to implement technical solutions aligned with business objectives.

• Provide input on architectural design and participate in technical planning to ensure long-term maintainability and compliance with standards.

• Analyze and articulate the trade-offs of different low-level design choices (e.g., bitmap vs. free-list allocators, array vs. list memory layout, speed vs. memory).

• Participate in the design and development of new features, integrations, and enhancements to software applications, databases, and interfaces.

• Collaborate with other staff engineers to drive technical direction and foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and memory-aware development.

What You'll Need:

• A High-Performance Background: You have a proven track record working in the performance-critical domains listed above.

• Fluency in Memory Fundamentals: You don't just "know" the difference between an array and a linked list; you can explain their memory layout and cache-locality trade-offs from first principles.

• Deep Understanding of Memory Management: Able to instantly recognize and describe strategies for managing a large, fixed block of memory. You can confidently discuss concepts like bitmap allocators, free lists, and memory fragmentation.

• A "Systems" Mindset: You are fluent in bit manipulation and pointer/offset arithmetic (even if it's abstracted). You can calculate the memory overhead of your own metadata.

• A Track Record of Performance Tuning: You have a story to tell about a time you used a profiler to find a bottleneck and made a non-obvious, low-level fix.

• Language Experience: 4+ years of professional experience. This role is language-agnostic, but your experience in C++, C, Rust, C#, or Java is preferred.

• Requirements: BSc in Computer Science/Engineering (or equivalent experience) and US Citizenship (for security clearance).

And Ideally:

• Deep C/C++/Rust Experience: A background in these languages is strongly desired. If you're a C# or Java developer, we're looking for you to have this experience or a provably equivalent low-level mindset.

• Security & Compliance: Experience in secure environments (FedRAMP, IL5/IL6) or an active security clearance

#LI-Hybrid

#LI-LP1

This is the base pay range for this position. Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including the candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies, location and experience, and may fall outside of the range shown. Employees are also eligible for variable compensation in addition to base pay (commission for sales roles, bonus for non-sales roles), depending on company and individual performance. Tenable also offers a variety of comprehensive and competitive benefits which include: medical, dental, vision, disability and life insurance; 401(k) retirement savings with company match; an employee stock purchase plan; an employee referral program; flexible spending accounts; an Employee Assistance Program (EAP); education assistance; parental leave; paid time off (PTO); company-paid holidays; health and wellness events; and community programs.

US Pay Ranges
$161,500—$215,500 USD

We’re committed to promoting Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) at Tenable - through all equal employment opportunity laws and regulations at the international, federal, state and local levels. If you need a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please contact [email protected] for further assistance.

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